Photographic equipment monopost



0 m H c m A F M 5 PHOTOGRAPHIC EQUIPMENT MONOPOST 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 29, 1964 INVENTOR. SHERMAN M FAIRCHILD BY 1 Z ATTORNEYS Dec. 211, 1965 Filed June 29, 1964 S. M. FAIRCHILD PHOTOGRAPHI C EQUIPMENT MONOPOST 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 5

"WW I "WNW United States Patent 3,224,718 PHOTOGRAPHIC EQUIPMENT MONOPOST Sherman M. Fairchild, New York, N.Y., assignor to Frpnt Projection Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed June 29, 1964, Ser. No. 378,647 9 Claims. (Cl. 248158) This invention relates to stands for supporting photographic equipment and more particularly to an improved monopost for supporting cameras, projectors, lights and similar photographic equipment.

Photographic equipment stands may 'be roughly divided into two broad classes. The first is the classical tripod which supports the equipment on a carriage that is mounted at the apex of the three supporting legs. The carriage may be raised by lengthening and/ or bringing together the three support legs, and for lowering the opposite would be done. In certain models there is also provided a post extending above the apex on which the carriage may be raised or lowered.

The second broad class of equipment stand-s is the monopost type. The monopost consists generally of a base and a single post mounted vertically above the base, the post being provided with a carriage having a mechanism for moving and clamping the apparatus about the post at the desired position. The conventional monopost consists of a round or square tube fastened to the center of a three or four footed base, each foot of which has an equal length leg.

Both of the above types of stands have certain disadvantages and advantages which become apparent with use. The tripod is diflicult to manipulate to the right position for the equipment carriage, usually requiring several adjustments for each set-up. Tripods are also relatively difficult to move once they are positioned since slight movement may jar them out of proper adjustment. Consequently, they are normally limited to supporting equipment which need not be moved during each photographic set-up.

The tripod has two principal advantages: 1) It supports the photographic equipment directly above the center of the support triangle formed by the three legs; and (2) It is collapsible and thus easily stored when not in use. The first advantage is important in photographic work since it permits a very stable set-up for the equipment. The second advantage is particularly important to the photographer, because in most studios space is at a premium. When extra stands are not in use, they should be made to be easily stored or stacked in a minimum of space.

The conventional monopost also has characteristic disadvantages and advantages. The first disadvantage is that the legs in the conventional monopost are normally arranged so as to prevent convenient stacking of a number of monoposts in storage. Second, the photographic apparatus attached to the conventional monopost is normally quite heavy, and its downward thrust is not over the center of the support base, thus creating an unnecessary couple tending to tip the monopost. Third, the methods of attaching the legs to the monopost do not permit stiff corner bracing without inconveniencing the operator in the use of the monopost.

The principal advantages of the monopost over the tripod is that it is easily repositioned from one location to another, which in the case of lighting support stands is extremely important. Also, it is usually sturdier and thus able to support heavier loads than the tripod.

My invention overcomes the above disadvantages and at the same time incorporates the advantages. In my monopost three point support is provided by two wheels at opposite ends of a front cross leg and by a skid on a rear leg extending at an angle from the front cross leg. The wheels permit mobility, while the skid serves as a brake when the monopost is properly positioned. The rear leg is connected to the top of the cross leg to facilitate storage as will be explained below. The support post in my stand is braced oif-center and vertically to the front cross leg and rear leg in a novel manner which makes my stand extremely convenient for use, and also contributes to its being stacked easily in groups when 'the stands are not in use. Off-center mounting of the post to the legs also eliminates the couple encountered in conventional stands which tends to tip these stands.

Besides having all of the above discussed advantages, my monopost is extremely simple and inexpensive to construct. A minimal number of parts are required, and these parts may be assembled cheaply yet effectively.

It is therefore a principal object of my invention to provide a novel support stand for photographic equipment which is very stable and at the same time very portable for convenient use with various types of photographic equipment.

It is another object of my invention to provide a novel support stand which is assembled in a manner to avoid obstructing or hindering the operator while using the stand.

It is a still furtherobject of my invention to provide a novel photographic support stand which is constructed in a manner -to permit convenient multiple stacking when the stand is not in use.

It is a still further object of my invention to provide an inexpensive and efficient light weight stand for supporting a large variety of types of photographic equipment.

These and other objects and features of my invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of two stands,'made in accordance with my invention, which are stacked together for storage;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of a stand made in accordance with my invention;

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view of the stand shown in FIGURE 2, illustrating section 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a front elevational view of the stand shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view of the stand shown in FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 6 illustrates an alternative bracing arrangement for my stand.

Referring to the drawings, my stand comprises four principal elements, cross front leg 10, rear leg 12, post 14, and brace 16 which ties the former three elements together. Each of these elements will now be described in detail.

Cross front leg 10 may be fabricated from hollow rectangular steel channel stock. Mounted to the inner top side and at opposite ends of leg 10 are stub shafts 20 and 21, on to which wheels 22 and 23 respectively are journalled free to rotate. Cross front leg 10 is made in'two parts, inner member 24 and outer member 25, so as to provide a telescoping adjustment for varying the length of leg 10. Lock screw 26 may be tightened to lock leg 10 at a certain length, or it may be loosened to permit length adjustment. The purpose of this adjustment will be described below.

Extending to the rear of, and at an angle to cross front leg Ill is rear leg 12. Rear leg 12 is attached at its bottom side to the top side of cross front leg 10, and these sides are generally parallel to each other. The reasons for this arrangement will be discussed below. Rear leg 12 is also made to telescope for length variation, having outer member 30, inner member 31 and lock screw 32. The purpose of this variation is described below. Threaded to the end of rear leg 12 is skid 33 which serves as a brake against motion of the stand once it is properly positioned. Skid 33 may be vertically adjusted by loosening lock nut 34 and turning skid 33 until the desired position is obtained. The purpose of this adjustment will be pointed out below. Journallecl through the end of rear leg 12 is handle 35 which may be used to lift skid 33 off the floor when my stand is being repositioned to a different location. When not in use, handle 35 may be locked into position out of the way by slipping it under spring biased clip 36.

Wheels 22 and 23 and skid 33 are the three support points through which the total weight of the stand and the equipment is supported by the floor. These points define a triangle which will be referred to as the support triangle. The support points are the vertices of this support triangle, and lines connecting the support points are the sides of the support triangle.

From a stability viewpoint the ideal arrangement would be to have the photographic equipment positioned so that the resultant force of the weight of the equipment and the stand would pass through the center point of a circle inscribed in the support triangle. This results from the fact that tipping moments about the three sides of the support triangle would be opposed by the maximum righting moment if the resultant weight passes through this point (the righting moments would be equal about the three sides, making the stand equally stable against tipping moments about any of the three sides of the support triangle). This point will be referred to as the center of the base. Similarly with other polygons, the most stable loading condition is where the resultant downward force passes through a point (center), which has the longest moment arms to all of the sides formed by any of two adjacent support points of the support polygon.

To accomplish this the total weight of the equipment and stand should be distributed and located so as to pass the resultant downward force through the center of the base. In conventional monoposts this is impossible, since the post is positioned directly over the center. I have provided for it in my stand by mounting post 14 off to the side on rear leg 12 as shown in FIGURE 2. While the embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 2 has an acute angle between front cross leg and rear leg 12, it should be understood that this angle may be varied so long as the resultant weight is aligned adjacent the center of the base. Once the proper base is selected, any of a variety of conventional carriages may be used for mounting equipment to post 14 so as to locate the resultant weight over its center.

Another feature of my stand is that the support triangle is variable in size to accommodate different load characteristics. Telescoping joints on front cross leg 10 and rear leg 12 which are set by bolts 26 and 32 respectively, provide means for varying the size of the support triangle. This adjustable arrangement is particularly advantageous where wide variations in the weight and arrangement of the photographic equipment loads are planned for a single stand. For convenience of use, it is preferable to have the smallest support triangle consistent with adequate stability. Where, however, the loads are such that stability is impaired, this support triangle must be enlarged to accommodate the particular loads involved.

My stand also provides an additional feature of vertical adjustment by means of adjustable skid 33 referred to above. Conventional stands adjust elevation of the equipment only by moving the carriages about post 14. By manipulation of skid 33 the vertical aim of the equipment supported on my stand can be more precisely controlled.

Anotherimportant feature of my invention is the means which I employ to connect front cross leg 10, rear leg 12 and post 14. I have found that a very effective and inexpensive connection may be made by employing a unitary sheet brace 16. Brace 16 may be made of threesixteenths inch flat steel, cut to size, preshaped and then suitably connected to front cross leg 10, as by bolts 40 and to rear leg 12 by bolts 44. The upper end of brace 16 may be connected to post 14, in any suitable manner, as by bolts 48. Post 14 is also connected directly to rear leg 12 by bolts 48. Any of a number of conventional connections such as welds, screws or rivets may be used instead of bolts, but, I have found bolts to be simple and inexpensive but quite effective.

Reference to FIGURE 1 will illustrate one of the principal advantages of my monopost, namely, the ease with which a number of these monoposts may be stacked when they are not in use. As noted above, rear leg 12 is disposed above front cross leg 10. This permits stacking of two or more of these stands together by simply crossing rear leg 12 of each successive stand over the front cross leg 10 of each previously stored stand. To further facilitate storage, brace 16 has been designed to minimize the obstructions caused by conventional gusseting and bracing arrangements. Brace 16 also has been designed to occupy minimal space on front cross leg 10 so as to improve storage capabilities.

Another important feature of my invention is its convenience in use. The operator has a virtually unimpaired accessibility to the photographic equipment. Because of the arrangement of rear leg 12 oif to the side of front cross leg 10, and because the design of brace 16, th operator can stand between these legs near post 14. Also the off-center location of post 14 makes my stand extremely stable despite its easy mobility resulting from the dual wheel front support. The rear leg brake provided by skid 30 sets the stand when it is properly positioned; this brake may be released by simply lifting rear leg 12 ofl? the floor by lifting handle 32.

FIGURE 1 shows that the outer edges of the horizontal section of brace 16, between front leg 10 and rear leg 12, may somewhat hinder the stacking of adjacent stands in close abutting contact, posts 14 of the stacked stands being laterally displaced from each other because of the interference of these edges. Referring to FIGURE 1, the right edge of the horizontal section of brace 16 butts up against the left edge of the horizontal section of the next adjacent brace 16. This hinders stacking of posts 14 and other corresponding parts of the adjacent stands directly against each other and therefore may result in waste of storage space.

FIGURE 6 illustrates an alternative bracing arrangement which eliminates this interference between adjacent stands. Referring to FIGURE 6, the left horizontal and inclined edges of brace 16 are even with the left edge of rear leg 12, and the right horizontal edge of brace 16 is cut back to be even with the right edge of rear leg 12. Thus, that part of horizontal section of brace 16' which is connected to the front cross leg 10 is made substantially L-shaped for a bolted or other suitable -connection to front cross leg 10. The inclined right edge of brace 16 is angled to the horizontal and vertical axes to provide the desired rigid support between front leg 10 and post 14. This arrangement permits closer stacking at no sacrifice in rigidity.

It should, of course, be understood that these bracing arrangements may be varied without departing from my basic invention. Instead of using a flat, preshaped, rigid sheet brace, tubular or solid struts may be disposed in the positions of the edges of braces 16 (FIG. 1) and 16 (FIG. 6) to obtain essentially the same bracing effect. Alternatively, flat braces 16 (FIG. 1) and 16' (FIG. 6) may have their central sections cut out, so as to serve like a strut-type brace. The important features of my bracing arrangements are that they are adequate to rigidly support post 14, and at the same time they do not interfere with the raising and lowering of the carriage on post 14. Nor do they encumber the operator in the use of the stand. They are also designed for easy stacking.

It should also be recognized that the apparatus disclosed herein may be used either in the totality of the several features or in the combination of only certain of these features. For instance, those skilled in the art may modify my stand by securing rear leg 12 to front cross leg 10, or post 14 to either of these legs, in a different manner.

Furthermore, front cross leg may comprise two connected legs both of which, when combined, form the equivalent of my front cross leg 10. It should therefore be understood that I have described only a preferred embodiment of my invention. Modifications and variations which are within the scope of my invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The foregoing disclosure is given by way of example only, rather than by way of limitation, and without departing from my invention, the details may be varied within the scope of the appended claims. I therefore intend not to be limited by the foregoing description but rather to be accorded a scope to my invention as recited in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A stand for supporting photographic equipment comprising:

(a) a base having a cross front leg with support points at each end and a rear leg connected adjacent one end of said front leg having a third support point, said three support points defining the vertices of a support triangle,

(b) an equipment mounting post, and

(c) means for connecting said post perpendicular to said base at a connection point located to direct the total downward resultant force of the stand and mounted photographic equipment substantially through the center of a circle inscribed within said support triangle.

2. A stand as claimed in claim 1 further comprising rotatable wheels mounted adjacent each end of said cross front leg and an adjustable skid support means mounted on said rear leg at said third support point.

3. A stand as claimed in claim 1 further comprising means for adjusting the length of one of said legs whereby the center of the circle inscribed within said support triangle may be repositioned for supporting a differently weighted photographic equipment having a total downward resultant force directed substantially through said repositioned center.

4. A stand for supporting photographic equipment comprising:

(a) a base having a cross front leg with support points at each end and a rear leg connected adjacent one end of said front leg having a third support point, said rear leg extending rearwardly from said front leg at an angle thereto toward the other end of said front leg,

(b) an equipment mounting post, and

(c) bracing means for rigidly connecting said post perpendicular to said base at a connection point located to direct the total downward resultant force of the stand and mounted photographic equipment substantially through the center of a circle inscribed within a triangle defined by said three support points whereby said post stably supports such equipment above said base.

5. A stand for supporting photographic equipment comprising:

(a) a base having a cross front leg with support points at each end and a rear leg connected adjacent one end of said front leg having a third support point, said three support points defining the vertices of a support triangle,

(b) an equipment mounting post, and

(c) means for connecting said post perpendicular to said base at a connection point located to direct the total downward resultant force of the stand and mounted photographic equipment substantially through the center of a circle inscribed within said support triangle, said rear leg extending rearwardly from and above the upper surface of such front leg, whereby two or more such stands may be stacked together with the front and rear legs of one stand disposed parallel and adjacent to the front and rear legs of the next adjacent stand without interference from adjacent equipment mounting posts.

6. A stand as claimed in claim 5 wherein said means for connecting said post to said base comprises a dihedrally shaped plate forming an angle between said front cross leg and said mounting post, said plate being wider at its base to provide angular support about a vertical plane for said mounting post.

7. A stand for supporting photographic equipment comprising:

(a) a base having a channel shaped cross front leg with wheels rotatably mounted at each end and a channel shaped rear leg connected to said front cross leg having an adjustable skid support means mounted adjacent its end, said rear leg extending above and rearwardly from one end of said cross front leg and at an angle thereto toward the other end of such (b) a channel shaped mounting post, and

(c) a dihedrally shaped brace plate connecting said post perpendicular to said base at a connection point located to direct the total downward resultant force of the stand and mounted photographic equipment substantially through the center of a circle inscribed within a triangle defined by the three Wheel/skid support points, said brace plate being wider at its center and connecting to said post, upper surface of said front cross leg, and lower surface of said rear leg so as to form an angle support between said post and front cross leg to provide rigid support for such post in a vertical plane and to form an angle brace between said rear leg and front cross leg to provide a rigid support for such front cross leg and rear leg in a horizontal plane.

8. A stand for supporting photographic equipment comprising:

(a) a base having a cross front leg with support points at each end and a rear leg connected adjacent one end of said front leg having a third support point, said three support points defining the vertices of a support triangle,

(b) an equipment mounting post, and

(c) means for connecting said post perpendicular to said base at a connection point located to direct the total downward resultant force of the stand and mounted photographic equipment substantially through the center of a circle inscribed within said support triangle, said rear leg extending rearwardly from and below the lower surface of such front leg, whereby two or more such stands may be stacked together with the front and rear legs of one stand disposed parallel and adjacent to the front and rear legs of the next adjacent stand without interference from adjacent equipment mounting posts.

9. A stand for supporting photographic equipment comprising:

(a) a base having two horizontal members with the end of the first member joined to the second member between the ends of the second member, and having support points on the three open ends of the horizontal members, said three support points defining the vertices of a support triangle,

(b) an equipment mounting post having an equipment support means at one side of the post, and

(c) means for connecting said equipment post to one of the base members to direct the force of the equip- 7 ment post and mounted photo equipment substantially through the center of a circle inscribed Within said support triangle.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 7/1911 Rains 248413 Lawlor 248129 Orrnsby et a1 212140 Hager 248-158 Church 47-611 Lisbin 248188.4

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

R. P. SEITTER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A STAND FOR SUPPORTING PHOTOGRAPHIC EQUIPMENT COMPRISING: (A) A BASE HAVING A CROSS FRONT LEG WITH SUPPORT POINTS AT EACH END A REAR LEG CONNECTED ADJACENT ONE END OF SAID FRONT LEG HAVING A THIRD SUPPORT POINT, SAID THREE SUPPORT POINTS DEFINING THE VERTICES OF A SUPPORT TRIANGLE, (B) AN EQUIPMENT MOUNTING POST, AND (C) MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID POST PERPENDICULAR TO SAID BASE AT A CONNECTION POINT LOCATED TO DIRECT THE TOTAL DOWNWARD RESULTANT FORCE OF THE STAND AND MOUNTED PHOTOGRAPHIC EQUIPMENT SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGH THE CENTER OF A CIRCLE INSCRIBED WITHIN SAID SUPPORT TRIANGLE. 